Thank you for the music: Old Rochester brings hit musical to life
Amanda Tomasso, center, portrays Donna Sheridan in "Mamma Mia!" during a Monday, May 4 dress rehearsal at Old Rochester Regional High School. Photos by Grace Roche
Sophie Sheridan, played by Fiona Roveda, sings during the opening scene of the show. 
From left: Luca Cabral, Liam Osterday and Linden White play Sophie's potential dads Harry Bright, Bill Austin and Sam Carmichael, respectively.
Sophie and her fiancé Sky, played by Lincoln Fauteux, discuss their upcoming wedding. 
Donna and her two best friends Rosie Mulligan, left, played by Charlotte Cook and Tanya Cresham-Leigh, right, played by Mara Donnelly. 
Donna and her friends reunite ahead of Sophie's wedding. 
Donna bemoans her money troubles. 
Donna and the Dynamos, the trio's old group, perform for Sophie's bachelorette party. 
The Dynamos return for one night only. 
Sophie and Sky sing a duet together. 
Donna is shocked when three of her former flings show up at the hotel she runs. 
The Dynamos give a special pre-wedding performance. 
Sophie sings with Bill Austin, who may be her father. 
Donna sings about wishing she had money so she wouldn't have to work endlessly. 
Sophie tells her friends Lisa, left, played by Kennedy McKay, and Ali, right, played by Tenley Lane, that she secretly invited her possible fathers to the wedding.
Amanda Tomasso, center, portrays Donna Sheridan in "Mamma Mia!" during a Monday, May 4 dress rehearsal at Old Rochester Regional High School. Photos by Grace Roche
Sophie Sheridan, played by Fiona Roveda, sings during the opening scene of the show.
From left: Luca Cabral, Liam Osterday and Linden White play Sophie's potential dads Harry Bright, Bill Austin and Sam Carmichael, respectively.
Sophie and her fiancé Sky, played by Lincoln Fauteux, discuss their upcoming wedding.
Donna and her two best friends Rosie Mulligan, left, played by Charlotte Cook and Tanya Cresham-Leigh, right, played by Mara Donnelly.
Donna and her friends reunite ahead of Sophie's wedding.
Donna bemoans her money troubles.
Donna and the Dynamos, the trio's old group, perform for Sophie's bachelorette party.
The Dynamos return for one night only.
Sophie and Sky sing a duet together.
Donna is shocked when three of her former flings show up at the hotel she runs.
The Dynamos give a special pre-wedding performance.
Sophie sings with Bill Austin, who may be her father.
Donna sings about wishing she had money so she wouldn't have to work endlessly.
Sophie tells her friends Lisa, left, played by Kennedy McKay, and Ali, right, played by Tenley Lane, that she secretly invited her possible fathers to the wedding.
MATTAPOISETT — Old Rochester Regional students have given their absolute ABBA-solute all to prepare for their rendition of “Mamma Mia!”
As they prepared for the spring performance, actors said they’ve made new friends, seen a program they love grow and for some enjoyed the last few months of high school.
In the show — a popular Broadway musical — Sophie Sheridan, played by Fiona Roveda, invites three of her mother’s past flames to her wedding in order to figure out which of them is her father.
Cast members said the show’s name recognition brought many new actors to the drama program to fill out a large ensemble. The show relies on its ensemble for its many musical numbers. Senior Amanda Tomasso said this encouraged many new actors to join the drama program.
“We've normally done shows that are a smaller ensemble,” she said. “This is the first show we've done with the big ensemble, and everyone's having fun learning together.”
She said the hard work that went into memorizing lines and learning choreography brought people together, and she got to know many new cast members.
Linden White, a senior from Mattapoisett who plays potential father Sam Carmichael, was one of those actors new to the stage. He said he joined the show at the prompting of senior friends who had done shows at the school before.
“It's my first time ever doing a drama production, so I'm a little nervous but mostly super excited, because the show has been super fun to work on,” White said.
Junior Roveda, of Mattapoisett, is also a newcomer to the program. She said she enjoyed meeting new friends and the satisfaction of seeing the show come together after the hard work her and her peers put into it.
“I've always loved theater, but I've always done other things that have gotten in the way,” she said. “For “Mamma Mia!” it was unacceptable if I didn’t audition, I had to.”
Fellow juniors Tenley Lane and Kennedy McKay, who play her best friends in the show, said many cast and crew members do sports or have other extracurricular activities they had to balance while rehearsing.
All three of them agreed the hard work has been worth it, and they are excited for people to see the final product.
“I want them to see how much growth we have together, and how close we all are, and the hard work and hours that we put into the show,” Lane said.
McKay said there were “definitely a lot of late nights” spent preparing for the show, but everyone is invested in the work “so it's all worth it.”
Roveda said she hopes the audience will “see all the talent that ORR has — I feel like this is a really good program — and see our hard work and the dedication everyone has.”
Tomasso said she’s excited to portray Sophie’s mother Donna Sheridan in one of the starring roles, and for people to see the show. As a senior, she said it’s also sad to say goodbye.
Fellow senior Charlotte Cook said she’s feeling sentimental about the end of her final year, and seeing Tomasso and Roveda sing “Slipping Through My Fingers” together in rehearsals reminds her she’s graduating soon.
“Watching my best friends perform that, even though it's not during the show, makes me cry, because this program is slipping through my fingers,” she said.
